Homesickness
by Dilapidated Roads
Summary: When the sweet kid from Vault 101 won't come out into the sun, Moira and Gob deside to help him with that little problem. Possible NSFW, Gob/M!Lone Wonderer.


"Why, hello there Gob! I didn't expect to find you here," Moira Brown said in her optimistic cheer. "Well, actually I did."

"What can I get for you, Moira?" Gob asked, wiping down the counter with the same dirty cloth as always.

"Well, my little research assistant, that sweet kid from the Vault, hasn't come out of his house in days. I was wondering rather Moriarty would allow you to help me see what's wrong?"

"Sorry, Moira. Moriarty would kill me if I left during my shift."

A blond man walked out of nowhere and stood looking at a shelf, ever so often checking a list. Moira Brown walked over to him, hoping that he would allow her request. The only problem was that Moriarty wasn't the type of man to do something out of the kindness of his heart. Moira might be the sweetest woman in the Wastes, but she wasn't stupid. She came with caps.

"Moriarty! Great to see you," Moira greeted the man in front of her.

"If it isn't Moira Brown," Moriarty said, his thick accent causing Moira to blush the faintest bit. "What can I get you today?"

"Oh, I'm not here for a drink, but I was wondering if you'd let me take Gob to see my research assistant."

"Moira, that's sweet. It really is, but I can't just let my bartender go in the middle of the day."

"That's just it! I have five-hundred caps right here, in exchange for Gob's help for a while."

"Alright, you got yourself a deal woman. Just make sure Gob comes back."

"Oh, you're a peach!"

Moira smiled as she walked over to the bar. At present, Gob was dealing with a rather drunk Jericho, who at present was commenting on Gob and his being a ghoul. Moira waited patiently as the bartender finished up with the frequent patron.

"Gob!" Moira practically shouted with glee. "Moriarty said that you could come with me to visit the stray from the Vault!"

"Are-Are you serious? You actually managed to get me out of here?" Gob asked, his eyes wide open, surprise written on his face.

"Of course! Now come on, we need to go. We don't want him to end up living in a place with no sun."

Gob left his rag on the counter and followed Moira outside, squinting a little when the sun hit his eyes. His vision adjusted quickly though, and he began to follow Moira again. She began to walk back to her shop, confusing Gob just the smallest bit.

"Moira?" Gob asked the scientist-turned-proprietor. "There's an easier way to the kid's home."

Gob pointed to his left, indicating where the Vault Dweller's home would be. He began to slowly walk towards the home, hoping that Moira would understand and take the lead.

"Oh! You're right!" Moira exclaimed, walking in front of Gob once again. "I don't think he even knows of this route himself. I saw him walking that way from before when he returned to his home."

Gob continued to walk, but still stared at the woman in front of him with slight disbelief. Moira really was the sweetest woman in the world, but how could she be taken seriously when she claimed that something from a few seconds ago constituted as being 'from before'? He didn't know if Moira counted any house as a home, and quite frankly Gob agreed, but the kid came straight from a Vault. He was unsure if the kid would ever consider this place home.

While absent-mindedly thinking these thoughts, he bumped into Moira when she suddenly stopped. Gob muttered his apologies as Moira knocked on the thin metal door that lead to the Vault Dweller's home. No response came from the door. Moira knocked again and even tried to jiggle the handle a bit. The door opened right before the eyes of ghoul and human.

"I think he said that his name was Leo," Moira whispered to Gob, noting how all lights in the house were turned off.

Gob took initiative and walked in front of Moira, straining his eyes to see in the darkness of the new home. Hearing whimpers from his right, Gob turned to see a pale, blond man in a vault suit huddled on the ground.

"Smoothskin?" Gob asked as quietly as he could.

Gob held his hands in the universal 'easy' form, as he approached the kid from the Vault. He acted as if the man at his feet would attack at any moment, acted as if he was in front of an animal in pain.

"C-c-close the do-door," the former vault resident said quietly.

"Oh, of course!" Moira exclaimed, closing the door behind her, making the house almost completely black.

"What's your name?" Gob asked the shaking man, using the guidelines that Doc Church used when dealing with a concussed patient.

"My-My name?" Asked the man in front of the ghoul.

"Yes, your name. What do they call you?"

"Nosebleed."

"Not a nickname, Smoothskin. What did your parents call you?"

"L-Leonardo."

Leonardo burst into tears as he muttered his name, his sobs loud and heavy. Moira stared down at her research assistant with pity in her eyes. She really did feel bad for the kid, but she felt as if she was helpless, and this aggravated her.

Gob looked at the woman to his left, signaling that he didn't know what to do next. If Leonardo wouldn't have just burst into tears, he felt that he would've continued to ask Leonardo questions to calm him down.

"Leonardo, why aren't you outside?" Moira asked, going for an optimistic, cheery voice as opposed to Gob's quiet, calm tone. "It's a beautiful day today. There's even a slight breeze."

"It-it-it hurts to look," Leo said, trying to quiet his breaths. "It burns. It burns so much and hurts so bad."

Suddenly, a whirring Mr. Handy came down the stairs, his eyes acting as flashlights. He looked at the three people in what seemed to be confusion.

"I wouldn't bother with him," The robot spoke in his accented, metallic voice. "He's been laying on the floor for two days."

The robot whirred to and fro, probably trying to alleviate his synthetic boredom. His indifference shocked Gob into an emotion reminiscent of anger. As for Moira, she expected indifference, and in her head, she knew that it wasn't the robot's fault, however even she became annoyed.

"Have you eaten at all?" Moira asked, feeling even more sorry than before.

"No," Leo replied shakily.

"Let's get you to bed. I'll see about making you something to eat. Gob, can you get him to his room?"

Gob nodded his head as Moira walked into the small kitchen. He then tried to pick Leonardo up by the arm, but when it became apparent the Leo wouldn't unfurl his body, Gob realized that he'd have to pick the man up. Gob was surprised when he actually managed to hold the kid without dropping him. Leo was surprisingly light, but when Gob had to walk up stairs, it became much harder.

He managed to do it eventually however and when he found Leo's room, he laid the boy on the bed. Leo then curled back up into his small little ball and lay there for at least five minutes. Gob chose his words carefully, not wanting to upset the man on the bed.

"Leonardo, why haven't you gone outside?" Gob asked, feeling just about as graceful with his words as Jericho was.

"It hurts," Leo practically whispered.

"There's got to be more than that, Smoothskin."

Leo didn't say anything, he just covered his head with his blanket and tried to shut out the world. He couldn't make anyone understand what actually hurt him or what he was afraid of. He wasn't sure that he knew himself.

"I managed to make something to eat!" Moira burst into the room, cheery as ever.

No matter how much prodding Moira or Gob did, Leo would not come out from under the blanket. The smell of the food made his stomach twist and turn, and it eventually started to boil, making him nauseous. He closed his eyes and turned to face the wall, the smell subsiding a bit. He fell asleep listening to the pitiful reassurances of Moira and Gob, both of them trying to get him to go outside.


End file.
